Stanton knocked off by Bedford in districts

 LENOX — Two-out runs can really hurt a team.

It did a number on the Stanton Vikings when they gave up seven of them, including six in the second inning, as they lost their 1A district quarterfinal game last Tuesday 11-1 in five innings to the Bedford Bulldogs at Lenox High School.

The six-run second inning came at a time when Stanton (9-9) was tied 1-1 with the Bulldogs and were one out away from getting out of the inning.

Devon Wheeler put Bedford in the lead with an RBI single that scored Ryan Johnson. From there, a bloop single into shallow right field by Hunter Russell kept the inning alive. 

Justin Folkerts was walked and soon the bases were loaded, setting up back-to-back two-RBI doubles by Quentin Sefrit and Clay Cox.

Seth Willetts added to the score with an RBI-single and the Bulldogs were up 7-1. Relief pitcher David Sorensen, who stepped in for starter Donnie Weis, gave up a single, but retired Ethan Adkisson with a strikeout to get out of the inning.

Stanton scored its only run in the first inning. David Sorensen led off the game with a double. 

Two batters later, Brady Johnson knocked in Sorensen with an RBI-single.

Johnson had a chance to score the second run of the game and put Stanton up 2-0. However, during a double by Alex Becthold, Johnson was tagged out at home.

Bedford tied the game with two outs in the bottom of the first when Cox hit an RBI-single.

It was a much different story for the Stanton bats after the first inning.

Sefrit, the starting pitcher, settled in for Bedford and allowed just one base runner the remainder of the game.

Johnson led off the fourth inning for Stanton with a single. The junior was able to move to third base, but was stranded. Johnson was 2-for-2 in the game with a double and an RBI. Sorensen and Becthold were both 1-for-2 in the game.

Bedford tacked on two more runs in the third inning when Sefrit knocked in two on a single.

The Vikings gave up two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, which allowed Bedford to win via the mercy rule.

It’s the second time this season that Bedford has defeated Stanton with the mercy rule.

The first time happened June 18 when Stanton lost 15-0 in four innings.

Stanton finishes the season with nine wins, which is the most they’ve had since 2010 when they went 10-8.

The good news for Stanton is they have no seniors, so everyone should be back for the next season.

They’ll also have an influx of young talent, including Weis, Cameron Walter, Drake Johnson and Reece Anderson, who will have more experience going into next season.

Brady Johnson, Sorensen and Becthold will all be key seniors for next season.

Johnson and Sorensen were the big hitters for Stanton this year. Johnson led in batting average with a .443. He also had 31 hits, 21 runs and 11 extra base hits, including two home runs. 

Sorensen led the team in both on-base percentage (.517) and slugging percentage (.667). He had 30 hits, 12 extra base hits, including one home run, and led the team in stolen bases, going 23-for-25.

Becthold had a .296 batting average with 10 RBIs and nine runs scored. Dustin Isaacson and Jacob Lindgren will also be part of the senior group for next season.